Put brakes on noise from big trucks

Published: Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 6:41 p.m.

Folks who live along Fanning Bridge Road should not have to put up with the machine-gun rattling of compression release engine brakes on big trucks late at night, and local and state officials should do what they can to put a stop to the noise.

Neighbors in subdivisions along Fanning Bridge complain that speeding, noisy truck traffic is jeopardizing safety, rattling their windows and waking their children. The problem seems to be compounded by truckers using Fanning Bridge to bypass scales on Interstate 26.

Patty Youngblood, who lives in Windsor Forest, said the noisy brakes shake her house and disrupt her family’s sleep. “Sometimes it goes all night,” she told Fletcher Town Council last week.

Officials with the town and the N.C. Department of Transportation met Tuesday to brainstorm possible solutions. Mayor Pro Tem Eddie Henderson has lived on Fanning Bridge since 1978 and regularly fields complaints from citizens about speeding and noisy trucks. Yet he says: “There’s just not a whole lot you can do. You just can’t tell these truckers they can’t come through here.”

Many towns have passed ordinances and put up signs prohibiting the loud brakes, commonly known as “jake brakes.” Jacobs Vehicle Systems, which manufacturers compression release engine brakes as well as other braking systems, takes issues with signs singling out “jake brakes,” according to the website www.straightdope.com. The company says the loud noises are the result of poorly muffled or illegally modified exhaust systems, and notes that other companies also manufacture compression release engine brakes.

Whatever they are called, Fanning Bridge neighbors are tired of hearing them. Last week, the Youngbloods asked Town Council to consider passing an ordinance and erecting signs to prohibit truckers from using the loud brakes. DOT officials have expressed concern that this could create safety issues by discouraging truckers from using their brakes. But the speed limit on Fanning Bridge is 35 and the loud brakes are not effective below 40 mph, Henderson says.

Henderson said the truckers he’s seen causing problems aren’t those driving to the quarry on Fanning Bridge or delivering trailers with well-known fleet names that can be traced. He described the offending trucks as having “plain-Jane white trailers,” and said they often cross the center line in curves.

Councilman Bob Davy suggested enforcing speed limits might be the most effective solution since the trucks wouldn’t need to use the loud brakes at lower speeds. According to Fletcher Police Chief Erik Summey, officers have clocked speeding on the road and “the average speed was maybe 40 mph.” But much of the problem is occurring in the early morning hours, between 2 and 7 a.m., Youngblood said.

Police should stake out the road during the wee hours to determine what is going on. The Division of Motor Vehicles also should look into the issue of truckers bypassing the scales on I-26, a violation that poses other safety hazards. And the council should do as former trucker Stanley Harkins suggested and pass an ordinance prohibiting the use of compression release engine brakes on the road so that residents can have some peace and quiet.

<p>Folks who live along Fanning Bridge Road should not have to put up with the machine-gun rattling of compression release engine brakes on big trucks late at night, and local and state officials should do what they can to put a stop to the noise.</p><p>Neighbors in subdivisions along Fanning Bridge complain that speeding, noisy truck traffic is jeopardizing safety, rattling their windows and waking their children. The problem seems to be compounded by truckers using Fanning Bridge to bypass scales on Interstate 26.</p><p>Patty Youngblood, who lives in Windsor Forest, said the noisy brakes shake her house and disrupt her family’s sleep. Sometimes it goes all night, she told Fletcher Town Council last week.</p><p>Officials with the town and the N.C. Department of Transportation met Tuesday to brainstorm possible solutions. Mayor Pro Tem Eddie Henderson has lived on Fanning Bridge since 1978 and regularly fields complaints from citizens about speeding and noisy trucks. Yet he says: There’s just not a whole lot you can do. You just can’t tell these truckers they can’t come through here.</p><p>Many towns have passed ordinances and put up signs prohibiting the loud brakes, commonly known as jake brakes. Jacobs Vehicle Systems, which manufacturers compression release engine brakes as well as other braking systems, takes issues with signs singling out jake brakes, according to the website www.straightdope.com. The company says the loud noises are the result of poorly muffled or illegally modified exhaust systems, and notes that other companies also manufacture compression release engine brakes.</p><p>Whatever they are called, Fanning Bridge neighbors are tired of hearing them. Last week, the Youngbloods asked Town Council to consider passing an ordinance and erecting signs to prohibit truckers from using the loud brakes. DOT officials have expressed concern that this could create safety issues by discouraging truckers from using their brakes. But the speed limit on Fanning Bridge is 35 and the loud brakes are not effective below 40 mph, Henderson says.</p><p>Henderson said the truckers he’s seen causing problems aren’t those driving to the quarry on Fanning Bridge or delivering trailers with well-known fleet names that can be traced. He described the offending trucks as having plain-Jane white trailers, and said they often cross the center line in curves.</p><p>Councilman Bob Davy suggested enforcing speed limits might be the most effective solution since the trucks wouldn’t need to use the loud brakes at lower speeds. According to Fletcher Police Chief Erik Summey, officers have clocked speeding on the road and the average speed was maybe 40 mph. But much of the problem is occurring in the early morning hours, between 2 and 7 a.m., Youngblood said.</p><p>Police should stake out the road during the wee hours to determine what is going on. The Division of Motor Vehicles also should look into the issue of truckers bypassing the scales on I-26, a violation that poses other safety hazards. And the council should do as former trucker Stanley Harkins suggested and pass an ordinance prohibiting the use of compression release engine brakes on the road so that residents can have some peace and quiet.</p>